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Post by tspyz on May 23, 2007 23:14:02 GMT -5
I'm working on my latest batch, and decided to experiment with bypassing the champion, as it seems to really heat the liquor as it grinds. (I've seen 160+F working larger batches through it, and I imagine the interior of the grinder has to get much much warmer.)
The Santha really will turn nibs into liquor, albeit quite a lot slower than the Champion. I removed the spring and replaced the cap, then slowly fed in nibs as long as I had space between the top of the roller bracket and the cap. It took about 20 minutes to get all 2.5 lbs of nibs in. One hour later, I had a very nice liquid in the Santha, with a temp of about 40C (104F.) This is an unmodified Santha, so no extra HP required!
More reports as the batch develops.
(I'll have pictures up at my blog (http://cacaolab.wordpress.com) if you are curious to see the before and after.)
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Post by baldyross on May 28, 2007 11:53:26 GMT -5
What's the difference of the Santha wet grinder and the Santha model designed for chocolate ? Can I use the basic model?
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Post by Alchemist on May 29, 2007 14:26:30 GMT -5
The basic difference is that the motor is ventilated in the Melanger model. If you use the basic wet grinder, it will over heat and burn the motor out in a couple hours.
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Post by daniel on Sept 30, 2008 10:47:14 GMT -5
What's the minimum and maximum batch weights I can put into a Santha?
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Post by doris on Nov 8, 2008 21:45:22 GMT -5
well, Daniel, I took a look at the santhausa website, cause I was curious, too. I think it says that it is about 6 lbs, or 8 litres. www.santhausa.com/comparison_of_spectra_melangeurs.htmnow, I am a newbie, and I would guess that the wet grinder/melanguer is the same thing, in that this item does both jobs. i think that the spectra 10 is good for a home chef/hobbyist.
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Post by chocolatedr on Aug 9, 2009 20:14:12 GMT -5
Two questions regarding conching with Santha.
First, does it matter if the 60-72 hours of conching (by conching I mean removing or loosening the cap on the santha) are continuous or can I break them up into 10 hrs a piece. This of course being relevant when I need to go to work during the day.
Second, Can the cap be loosened on larger Santha models for conching, i.e. Santha 20 or 40?
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Post by Alan on Aug 13, 2009 6:44:29 GMT -5
Despite what I might have said a few years ago, there is no need to loosen the cap. The rollers are light enough that they "chocoplane" a bit if you take the cap off, which, though it results in some conching, does not give you the same effect that you would get with a larger longitudinal machine where the rollers are heavy enough, and moving slowly enough (20-40 rpm) to hold themselves down. In other words, I'd personally leave the cap on to get the most out of the machine given its small size and particularities.
Alan
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Post by chan007 on May 30, 2010 3:26:36 GMT -5
Last night, I made a batch of 60% dark chocolate in my stronger Santha machine. I completely bypassed using the Champion, tighted the roller tensioner right down (I'm a sucker for punishment) and gradually dumped the beans into the machine, alternating them with melted cocoa butter. This afternoon I tasted some of the smoothest dark chocolate I've ever had.
This machine is now strong enough that I don't have to use the Champion Juicer any longer to create the liquor.
Brad,
So I imagine you wrote this a while ago? I have been studying these forums hoping to learn as much information as possible before I start making chocolate at home. I am hoping I can avoid many mistakes and make the right decision about which machine to purchase by gleaning as much information from you experts here. So you mentioned you modified your Santha to give it extra strength and to avoid the Champion altogether? I think i've since read that most people don't need the Champion with the most recent Santha's, and that you can (slowly) dump your roasted nibs straight in and then process to the final product. Is this the case? Or will I still need to modify the Melanguer to get a premium chocolate?
I am also tossing up between the Santha and the Melanguer from Cocoa Town (10 lbs model). Do you recommend any particular one of these? Basically I would like to invest in equipment that will give me good results, I understand that it is possible to make top quality chocolate at home, but I don't want to buy something that won't do what I expect (unless I can modify it to do so)
Any thoughts?
Cheers in advance, Chantelle
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Post by chan007 on May 30, 2010 6:48:06 GMT -5
Sorry that first bit was supposed to be a quote from you, Brad. I hope that makes sense.
Cheers, Chantelle
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Post by Brad on May 30, 2010 22:24:52 GMT -5
Hi Chantelle; I can't comment on the grinder from Cocoa Town, as I haven't used it. What I can tell you however, based on the similarities between the machines, don't expect to be making 10lbs of chocolate from either. You can, but it will very quickly wear the belts out. I modified my home recipes to make 2 litres (about 6lbs). That seemed to work best. My Santha is heavily modified because I was running it 24/7 for a couple of years making my own personal chocolate before I opened Choklat. You need to understand that neither machine is really designed to grind cocoa into chocolate. They are Indian Lentil Grinders, made to grind grains, into into falafels, flour for naan bread, and so forth in a couple of hours - not run for 48 hours straight. People have been using them for making chocolate because there is no other reasonable solution on the market today. As a result, most people have had to "crack the cases" of their machines at some point, and perform maintenance, such as tightening and changing belts. If you are prepared to do that, then I'm sure both machines will serve the purpose. What I CAN tell you however, is that I've received excellent service from John Nanci, the owner of this site, and support his efforts whole heartedly. I just recently purchased a significant amount of cocoa from him as well. In the end, you don't need a juicer for either. Heat the bins of the machines, and the granite wheels. Melt the cocoa butter, and add the sugar to it to heat it too. Then add your nibs to the hot cocoa butter and let them warm up. Once that is done, then with the tension off the rollers, slowly dump your ingredients into the machine, pausing while the motor labors, and the chocolate becomes a bit smoother so the mass doesn't cause it to stall. I hope this helps. ;D Brad Churchill www.SoChoklat.com
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Post by chan007 on May 31, 2010 22:43:42 GMT -5
Thank you Brad, and thankyou to all the other people who contribute so much to these forums. I will be purchasing a melangeur from John either way. Let's just hope that I don't have to crack open the casing and change the parts too soon. I hope to use the smaller melangeurs until I feel confident enough that I can produce a product that I feel is good enough before I invest in something more expensive. Even if I struggle at first, I'm definitely commited to the idea. Thanks again for all the advice happy chocolating to all!
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